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Is My Child Autistic or Delayed?

Is My Child Autistic or Delayed? is a book written for parents and professionals to explore autism concerns and developmental delays in children. The book is written by Susan Louise Peterson, a school psychologist who has conducted over 1000 assessments on young children with possible developmental delays and autism concerns. The book is parent friendly written in easy to understand language. Parent concerns in the areas of communication, stereotyped behaviors, social interaction, unusual behaviors and daily living are presented with a school psychologist’s perspective of the concern. The book is also geared to help professionals as it gives an overview of autism characteristics. Is My Child Autistic or Delayed? even discusses the ‘wrong reasons’ a parent may want a diagnosis of autism for a child. The multidisciplinary team approach is discussed in the decision making process of whether a child is delayed or has autism characteristics. Is My Child Autistic or Delayed? gives a nice overview of both parent and professional concerns. Parent concerns in the book include topics such as the type and timing of a referral, cultural issues related to autism, inconsistent living patterns and medical concerns of the child. There is a look at the child’s ‘purposeful behaviors’ to understand delays or autism characteristics. Professional concerns examined in the book include the type of training of the professional, the type of autism assessments and the types of information and behaviors reported that may influence the decision making process of whether a child is autistic or delayed. Is My Child Autistic or Delayed? is a wonderful resource for parents (and professionals) beginning the process of an educational assessment for possible autism concerns and developmental delays.